Snap-fastener cap and method of making same



'02:. 21, 1-930. -D. l. REITER ,25

SNAP msmnnn CAP AND METHOD or MAKING sum Filed Dec. 1?, 1928 INVENTOR By Attorneys,

Patented Oct. 21, 1930 UNITED rAr-enrorrlce 5,}: t

' DANiEL'IQ REITER, or'NEwvoRx, N. Y."

suAr-rAs'rENER oar AND METHOD or MAKINGSAM Application filed'Decembei: 17, 1928. Serial 1w. 326,543, 1

" element, but being otherwise of an artistic and attractive :torm' or configuration such, *for, example,-as an ellipse,diamond, or other polygonal shape, as distinguished from the Soaps of circular configuration nowcommonly used'in the art.-

In the I accompanying drawings illustrat- 'ing the pre 1 'made inaccordancewithand embodying the invention, disclosing its ornamental back or face portion. p r g F1gfi2 1s a perspectlve view of the same cap, 1 disclosing the portion having the sub- I stantially circular'opening to receive the snap fastener'socket or othercoupling element. I Figs. 3 and4 are respectively aplan view and an edge view ofla plate. from which the j "'art;,'when made in the above-described manner, provide an article having one exposed-75 jelement, which may be of anyde'sired artistic 1 shape, but the entire snap fastener, including 'thestud and the socket, comprises five'ele- 'ments, 'two'of which must be soldered together. Heretofore, efforts to produce a simcap illustrated in Figs; l nd 2 "maybe Figs. 5and 6 are, respectively, a face view and an edgevie'w of a partly-completed cap.

- Figs. 7 and'S are, respectively,a faceview and an'edge viewof'a completed'cap,the

face viewrdisclosin'g 'the-portion of the cap adapted to receive the coupling element.

Figs, {land 10 are,*.respecti'vely, a'crosssectional view through "a cap like theione disclosed in Figs. 1 and-2 and a socket member adapted to be secured to. said cap.

' Fig. 11' is a view'in cross se'ctionthrough :a snap fastener.- socket formed by attaching thelparts'illustratedin Figs, 9*and10 to a i piece of fabricor other suitable: material. 1'

" 1;. Fig. 12 is-ea face't'view 30f a blank fro'm 'ers having one of the metal elementsexposed at the surface of the materialopposite the ferred and a modified form of the Such a fastener has been produced by solderwhich a cap of modified form'may be'made. Fig. 13 is a face viewpf theinodified cap When partly formed. 'i p 2 Fig. l4'isa face view of the'completelyformed modified cap, disclosing the face havfinga substantially circular opening to receive acoupling element. 7

It has been common practice, in the manufacture of snap fasteners, to'produce'aisocket by uniting'an expansible'socket'element to a circular cap. 1

" i To meet the demand ofthe public it has been found necessary to produce snap fastencoupling element of anartistic design other than thatof theusual circular-cap"? Such elements have been made in various forms, of'difierent dimensions along different axes,

such, for example, as in the shape of an jjellipse, or of a diamond, orother figure hav-' "ing a polygonal outline. i Heretofore, this o has been accomplished by applying the noncircular element to the snap, fastener stud;

ing the stem to a cap, and then securing the stem and cap to a stud element. Non-circular snap fasteners of the prior ,80 ple fastenercomprising a stud and a socket each built up of but two parts and at least one having an'exposed element; of some artistic form other than that of a circle, have i'beenunsuccessfuly The'invention V i ll, herein disclosed relates to an improved snap fastener cap, and improved method of-rnakingsuch a cap, ofnonvcircular:outline,*having "a substantially circular opening to receive one of the coupling elements of a snap fastener, preferably the socket element, the cap being made from a single sheet of metal having portions lying beyond the outline of the exposed back turned upwardly and inwardly to form the finished product 47 (Figs. 1 and 2).

In its preferred form the cap 47 may be made from a sheet of material or blank l8 (Fig. 3) having a central portion, indicated in broken lines, to form the exposed back of the cap, and outlying portions 19 to be turned upwardly and inwardly to form the part of the cap surrounding the substantially circular opening (Fig. 7).

The finished cap 47 may be made from the sheet of material 48 as a result of any desired number of steps in a manner well known in the art. For example, the portions 49 may first be turned upwardly to the positions indicated in Fig. 5, and, as a part of the same operation, any desired ornamentation may be impressed into the material as indicated at 51. The portions 49'may, as a part of a subsequent operation, be turned inwardly until the edge portions 52 and 53 are brought 1nto contact to form the joints 52' and 53, as illustrated in Fig. 7. The curved portions 5a of the blank will at the same time be brought into a relationship of continuity to form the boundary of the opening 50 (Fig. 7).

In Fig. 9 is illustrated a cross-section through the cap illustrated in Fig. 7, the section being taken along the line 99, and in Fig. 10 is indicated one of the socket elements which may be combined with the cap 47 to produce a finished socket asshown in Fig. 11. This is effected by passing the socket 55 through an opening in the material 56 and pressing the parts together so as to slightly flatten or spread the upper portion of the socket element into the cavity in the cap, whereby the two metal elements and the material 56a're firmly securedtogether.

T he socket illustrated in Fig. 11 is adapted for use with any suitable snap fastener mud.

In Figs. 12, 13-and 14 is illustrateda modified form of snap fastener cap of elliptical con-figuration. The finished cap L7, illustrated in Fig. 14, may be formed froma blank d8 of substantiallythe form indicated in Fig.

12, having fingers 49 which may be turned. upwardly to positions indicated in Fig. 13 and them inwalrdly to the positions inc icated in the finished cap as illustrated in Fig. 14. In this form, as in the preferred form, of the invention, the curved end portions of the blank 54' are brought into 'a relationship of continuity by the bending of the-fingers so as to cooperate in forming the boundary of thmopening 50 to receive the'coup'lingi, and the edge FPOItlQDS of the fingers 52" are brought into contact with each other when 'nnt lio their fmal form as illustrated gin Fig.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that applicant has made it possible to produce a simple four-part snap fastener in no manner dependent upon soldered joints, and that such a fastener may comprise a two-part socket element having an exposed ornamental cap which may be of any desired configuration.

The invention is not intended to be limited to either of the specific forms herein disclosed for purposes of illustration, but should be regarded as covering modifications and variations thereof within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of making a snap fastener cap having a substantially circular opening to receive a snap fastenercoupling element and aback of greater area than the opening and of materially different dimensions along different axes, said method consisting in cutting a sheet of metal toa form having a plurality of tabs extending beyond the margin of the portion intended to form the finished back portion of the cap, said tabs being-of the form required to produce the portion-of the cap surrounding the opening, and in bending said tabs upwardly and inwardly to bring their adjacent edge portions nearest the back into mutual contact, the terminal edge portions being brought into a relationship of continuity so as to serve as the marginal portions of the substantially circular opening.

2. The method of making a snap fastener cap, having a substantially circular opening to receive a snap fastener coupling element and a back of polygonal form, which consists in cutting a sheet of metal to the required shape and then bending its ,aperiphera]. portions to produce the finished article in accordance with the method defined by claim 1.

3. The method of making a snap fastener cap, having a substantially circular opening to receive a snap fastener coupling element and diamond-shaped back, which consists in cutting a sheet of metal to the required shape and then bending its peripheral portions to produce the finished article in accordance with the method defined by claim '1. 4. A snap fastener cap of shell-like formation having a back of materially different dimensions along diiferent axes and, in its opposite face, a circular opening of appropriate diameter to receive a snap fastener coupling element of a diameter less than the minor axis of said back, said cap com-prising a single piece of metal having rolled portions, extending from its back, which cooperate to form the part of said cap surrounding said opening, said rolled portions consisting of tabs of a form such that their :adj acent edge portions leading away from th'e'ba'ck lie in mutual contact and their terminal edge portions serve as the marginal portion of the face of said cap immediately surrounding said circular opening.

5. A snap fastener cap, as defined by claim 4, having a back of polygonal form.

6. A snap fastener cap, as defined by claim 4, having a diamond-shaped back.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name. 1

' DANIEL I. REITER. 

